The Longer I Run - Attempt 2
by KeyLimePie14
Summary: (re-post, let's hope this one works!) Jane keeps running away, only to find that she should've been running to Maura all along. Alternative title: The Four Times Jane Rizzoli Ran ... and the one time she didn't. JanexMaura.


**This is the same story that was posted previously, however FanFiction seemed to be having some trouble and multiple people told me that the link was not working at times... So let's hope this one sticks! Sorry for any confusion this may have caused and thank you to those who have reviewed and thanks in advance to those who will!**

 **A/N: While I am not new to fanfiction, or writing in general, I am new to this fandom (and a little late to the draw – I was in high school when the show started – but I'm here now and I'm going to try to make up for lost time!) and I just immediately fell in love with this show and the characters from the first time I watched it. (This could pretty much be set anywhere in the timeline of the show, but for some reason I'm feeling like it's set pretty early on… Maybe it's because I love those episodes so much.) So here I am, after building myself up enough to have the courage to do it, hoping I don't mess up the characters too awfully, with this little ditty. Don't hesitate to let me know what you think I can improve, parts you liked, etc. I won't bite! It really is a bit of PWP, as I'm mostly concerned it's a tad disjointed but for my first fic with these characters I didn't want to jump in too deeply. This is really just a Jane/Maura get together fic (that's been done a million times before, I know). I have some other ideas that I'm hoping to work on soon, so this is just an ice breaker for me! It was inspired and titled by a song called "The Longer I Run" by Peter Bradley Adams and who am I to fight the plot bunnies when they beckon? Alternatively titled: The Four Times Jane Rizzoli Ran …And the one time she didn't. ;) Enjoy!**

 **Also, italics are flashbacks. And I can't believe I'm still saying this, I don't own it; I just like to play.**

She found herself falling into a rhythm, shortening her strides to match those of the shorter woman running along beside her. Her body ached to lengthen her strides, to allow her long, lanky legs to carry her further and faster, until she couldn't go anymore. She found herself wanting that a lot more recently when she was around Maura, just to stop the jolt of emotion, the rush of feelings that always seemed to arise around the petite woman – her _best friend_ , and that couldn't have terrified her any more than it already did – couldn't have set her erratically beating heart any further into distress. At least, that's what she always thought. Until Maura found a new way to make her heart thrum against her rib cage, threatening to break out of her chest and leave her gasping, sputtering for breath and a moment of clarity from her, increasingly as of late, jumbled thoughts.

She panted slightly as they began to climb a small incline, moving seamlessly through the streets of Boston near Jane's apartment - their usual route. She glanced at the woman beside her, not surprised to find Maura looking almost as perfect as she had when she showed up at Jane's apartment not even half an hour ago. Jane, however, could feel a piece of hair that snuck out of her ponytail sticking to the back of her neck as sweat also dripped down her forehead, plastering pesky little baby hairs to her face. She knew her face and chest were red from exertion and she wasn't quite sure, but she thought she was beginning to stink. She silently cursed herself for not applying more deodorant in her harried attempt to be ready before Maura reached her door.

Jane stepped sideways a bit, putting more space between she and Maura as they ran, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious, though she wasn't entirely sure why. Maura had been on countless runs with Jane before; she had seen her disheveled, deep in the middle of a case, on day two of the same clothing, dry shampoo and deodorant the only things keeping her from absolutely reeking as she fought to bring sick perps to justice. Hell, Maura was typically elbow deep in a corpse and yet Jane was hyperaware of her own scent on the off chance that she might've smelled like BO? She shook her head slightly, focusing on her own foot falls, as she tried to shake the feeling of insecurity.

Maura sighed a little through her exhale at the loss of contact from Jane's arm brushing against hers, but otherwise made no acknowledgement of the change in dynamic. She'd done a fairly decent job of not reading too much into the brunette's growing unease around her as of late, chalking it up to the fact that they've had a rough few weeks at work. It was part of the reason she'd roused Jane out of bed at 6 AM with a phone call, urging her to get ready because they were going for a much needed run. Maura found herself restless at her own recent lack of exercise and she yearned for that endorphin rush, the one that only came from jogging with her best friend. She and Jane often competed, racing one another to a finish line that only they were aware of, and she found herself frequently pushing her body in an attempt to keep pace with the athletic detective, even if she felt like she failed half the time. It did wonders for the release of chemicals in her brain that she so desperately craved and she wasn't about to delve into the reason behind why it felt so much better with the detective).

As they crested the hill, Jane reached out for the stoop of an apartment building, grasping the bars of the railing and desperately trying to even her breaths, not too keen on Maura seeing her so utterly unkempt and out of control of her own body.

Maura, in unspoken agreement, said nothing and simply offered Jane her water bottle. She paused for a moment, catching her own breath, and watched the woman beside her as she took long swallows of the water. The sheen of sweat that coated Jane's chest shimmered slightly in the early morning light, making her olive skin stand out even more strikingly than usual. Maura observed silently the way Jane's cotton t-shirt hung loosely on her frame, Jane's collarbones jutting out slightly from beneath the loose crew neck, just a hint of cleavage popping out from beneath Jane's sports bra that otherwise did nothing exceptional for her figure. Maura made a mental note of that observation, vowing to get Jane to go clothes shopping with her, if for nothing else but to show her how a _proper_ bra (even a sports bra) was supposed to fit. After one more glance up the brunette, Maura spoke, "I noticed that you didn't give your usual speech of how much you hate running this morning. Are you finally agreeing with me that running is great exercise?"

Jane looked up at her from where she was bent over, hands resting on her knees, water bottle discarded to the concrete below her feet. She narrowed her eyes playfully, catching the slightly teasing tone of Maura's voice, "No, I was just too tired this morning to bitch about it. I still don't care about chemicals in my brain and immune boosting yada-yada."

Maura sighed then, rolling her eyes slightly at her friend's sarcasm; instead of calling the brunette out on her unwarranted displeasure, she worried that Jane's sleeping schedule had been greatly affected recently, and she didn't enjoy the flashbacks she got to all the other times Jane had been unable to rest properly because their jobs had penetrated their personal lives in some form or another.

Two weeks ago, on a similar Wednesday morning, they had seen a gruesome case that rivaled any others in the recent past. Two small children had been found dead by the pond behind their house, apparent signs of prior abuse. Maura could still see Jane's face upon arrival at the scene, how emotions flashed through her dark eyes as they became even stormier than usual. Child cases got to all of them, of course, but it always seemed to set Jane ablaze hotter than the rest of them, as she found a determination that ceased to let her rest, forbid she missed even the hint of a trail that could lead her to something. She, better than anyone, knew that Jane wasn't as stoic as she tried to seem at times. That her work, the details of each case, never really let her rest, even at home. The woman had something of a martyr complex, like she was a superhero that just had to save the world. Realistically, Maura knew this was impossible, but she found herself wanting to pretend right alongside Jane sometimes. Jane's enthusiasm and passion always seemed to sweep her up, catching her off her guard and making her want to match Jane's seamlessly, in a devotion to their careers and to the real people that it affected. Their most previous case had been one of those times and even Maura found herself getting caught up in it, much like Jane.

" _They were three years old, Maur," Jane had whispered as they stood in Maura's office, just as she had completed the autopsy results of the twins._

 _Maura had found herself at a loss for words, knowing there was nothing she, or anyone, could say that would lessen the pain, the confusion of why sometimes these things happen, so instead she simply folded her arms around Jane's slumped body and held on. Even after she felt Jane stiffen in her arms, desperately trying to hold back her emotions, Maura held on._

 _Jane slumped back against her after a moment or two, brushing her nose into the crook of Maura's neck in a moment of weakness, bringing her own arms up to circle the smaller woman's waist, doing her own amount of holding on for dear life._

 _They had stayed like that for a while, simply supporting and reassuring each other – and to an extent, themselves – that they were strong enough to get through this. That their jobs demanded it, even if they allowed themselves this one moment amidst it all._

That had been two weeks ago, and though they didn't know it at the time, the following days were to be grueling as they struggled to find, and bring to justice, the perpetrator of such a crime. After the first few days of the case and finding no leads, nothing to point them in any sort of direction, Maura had noticed that Jane seemed to be living out of her car, never leaving BPD, as she would rotate t-shirts, living off of the café coffee and vending machine snacks. After much urging and, well, plain shoving her out the door, she had gotten Jane to agree to come over to her house for dinner – and a shower, Maura had quickly decided upon seeing her friend up close – and though Jane had fallen asleep on her couch, it was only for a few hours and then she was itching, absolutely discontent with anything but going back to work.

Maura knew, from past experiences with Jane, that when she was that worked up there's virtually nothing to unwind the coil of nervous energy and, sometimes misguided at first, drive that the detective possessed. It was much easier to simply do her best to work alongside her, keeping her in check (and eating, sleeping if she could) as much as possible.

And, just as she knew they would, they got through it. Jane had been able to put the miniscule evidence and pieces of information together to form the whole picture, along with Maura and the team's help, of course. Jane's face upon bringing the children's mother and her boyfriend to justice broke Maura's heart just the same as it had broken her heart the initial day of the crime, as even solving the puzzle still held its own set of ramifications, a face to the crime, giving it that much more of a finality, the reality of death and bad choices sinking in. Maura believed there was good in everyone, but her job really did make that hard to believe in sometimes. Jane was nothing if not practiced in hiding her emotions to most people, but well, Maura wasn't most people. She could see, even the briefest glimpses, of Jane's façade crumbling just below the surface of that purposefully stoic face.

Now, Maura didn't fail to notice the attempt at the usual façade of a controlled Jane, much like times before. She eyed the darker woman's face for a moment, wondering briefly just how much she should pry into the woman's psyche.

Jane squirmed slightly under the smaller woman's gaze and tried to decipher the look on her face with a sigh, choosing to ignore it completely for the time, "Maur, come on, I'm sorry I cursed," Jane held out Maura's now half empty water bottle and sighed, "Let's finish up."

Maura accepted the proffered bottle from Jane, her fingertips brushing gently over the back of a scarred hand, purposefully whispering _we're coming back to this_ and let out a small chuckle, "I didn't say anything to you about the cursing, Jane."

Jane half shrugged, one shoulder jutting into the air at an angle Maura often found herself fascinated with, getting lost in thoughts of the planes and angles of Jane's body, which only added to the fierceness of the detective's personality. "I know, but you got that look on your face."

Maura furrowed her brow slightly, "What look?"

"The look you get when I do something that you don't necessarily approve of," Jane answered with a wave of her hand.

"I do not get that look!" She huffed, now indignant that Jane could think she would ever really disapprove of her.

"You kinda do, even if it's just for a second or whatever," Jane smiled in an attempt to calm Maura down, to prevent her from misunderstanding.

She rolled her eyes quickly, straightening out already straight spandex shorts, "I could never disapprove of you, Jane."

Jane's face softened and she held out a hand to graze Maura's elbow, trying desperately to ignore the rush of emotion at the woman's fiercely sincere words, "Oh, Maur, I know, I just meant when I don't act as polite in public as I should," and with a wink, Jane was changing the subject before Maura could reply, "I'll race you back to my apartment." She started jogging slowly, looking behind her as she taunted, "I've got coffee!" She prayed silently that Maura would take the bait, giving her a chance to escape conversation and looks that made her palms sweaty, and not from the running.

Maura couldn't help but relax her posture and laugh, immediately accepting the challenge, "Instant doesn't count!" As she herself picked up pace and followed after Jane's dark bobbing ponytail.

BREAKBREAKBREAK

" _Maur?" Jane poked her head around into the Chief Medical Examiner's office, smiling when her eyes landed on the woman in question sitting behind her desk, looking decidedly, and uncharacteristically, bored as she leaned one elbow on the desk, resting her cheek against her hand, scrolling lazily through what Jane could only guess was an online catalog of items priced more than her month's rent. She stepped into the office, moving quickly behind the seated woman in hopes to catch her shopping at work._

 _Maura broke from her daze and quickly slammed her laptop shut, sitting up straight and narrowing her eyes playfully at her friend's behavior, "Jane, it's not nice to sneak up on someone."_

" _I didn't," Jane's smug voice rasped, "I said your name." She was grinning down at Maura, one hand on the edge of the desk, while the other hung loosely across the back of her chair, long, thin fingertips just grazing against the skin on the back of her neck, over the vertebrate that deliciously poked up, as her hair was in a messy (read: still flawless) ponytail. Maura shivered slightly at the contact to her vertebrate and found herself grinning back up at Jane, despite the sneaky attempts from the detective to see what she was doing._

" _What brings you down here?" She questioned, turning her body toward the taller woman, making it easier to look up at her._

 _Jane shrugged in that half-hearted way, "I'm stuck with paperwork today." She said it as though it explained everything, and to Maura it did. She knew how Jane could be when cooped up at her desk all day. It was just part of the job, the part that didn't get Jane's passion going. After all, who wanted to file paperwork ever?_

" _Sounds about the same as my day," Maura commented, her mind picturing the Jimmy Choo's she had been scrolling through._

" _Great, so let's get out of here," Jane was tugging gently at Maura's elbow, pulling the petite woman to her feet, an excited sparkle in her eye._

" _Where are we going?" Maura sputtered, trying to catch up with Jane's processing._

 _There was that shrug again, this time accompanied by a smile to match, "I don't know. Just not here." She waved her hand around the air above her head. "Do you have anything pressing?"_

" _No," Maura found herself pursing her lips, "I don't, but Jane it's only 1 o'clock-"_

" _Yeah, 1 o'clock on a Friday, we don't have a case and I for one deserve a beer."_

" _Okay, but I want wine," Maura crinkled her nose at the thought of beer, "While your beer is truly one of the better brands I've had, I still prefer a nice glass of red."_

" _You got it, babe," Jane winked playfully, grabbing Maura's coat off the hook by the door and handing it to her, "Let's go." And thankfully, Maura sighed in relief, Jane turned and began toward the elevator, completely missing the flush that spread up the medical examiner's chest at the pet name._

 _They exited the Boston Police Department playfully bickering over lunch, and Jane groaned upon seeing the torrents of rain that spilled from the sky, casting an angry grey shadow over the city before them. "Looks like we won't be walking, Maur," Jane glanced at the woman beside her, "so now that distance doesn't matter, where do you want to go?"_

 _Maura simply smiled at Jane, knowing exactly where they were going to end up, even despite the protests she knew the brunette would throw out at her._

 _A few minutes and many loud protests from a one Jane Rizzoli, later, they were seated in Maura's favorite restaurant, munching on the homemade potato chips in a basket between them, thanks to Maura's indulgence. Jane couldn't deny that the chips were pretty good, and there weren't many other places she knew of that she could get such frothy beer, so she settled back in her chair and munched silently._

 _Jane was enjoying herself, even grudgingly taking the offered bite of Maura's salad, simply because it was Maura. She wasn't sure how else to describe it other than that. They always seemed to settle into their comfortable rhythm quickly each time they were in each other's company. As if they ever fell out of rhythm, Jane thought, eyeing the flawless woman seated across from her._

" _See? I told you it wasn't that bad," Maura smiled, taking her own bite of salad, one noticeably smaller than that which had been offered to Jane._

" _Oh yeah? Then why did you make me take such a big bite when yours barely covered the fork?!" Jane couldn't help but let out a laugh, deep and rich._

 _Maura blushed slightly, hoping Jane wouldn't have caught onto that, "Well… Your diet consists mainly of carbohydrates and caffeine," she explained, "I have to slip in those greens somehow." She smiled a small smile and daintily speared a cherry tomato, taking two small bites, instead of popping it into her mouth whole like she'd witnessed Jane do._

" _You, Dr. Isles, are sneaky," Jane teased, arching one dark eyebrow upwards, wiggling it slightly as she did so._

" _No, you are just easy," Maura joked back easily._

 _Jane gaped at the woman, "Take that back!" She pointed her finger accusingly, eyes narrowing._

 _"No," the blonde smiled from around her wine glass, enjoying the reaction the brunette had to her taunting words._

 _"Maur," Jane whined, drawing out the "r" a syllable too long, looking absolutely dejected, though Maura knew it was an act, "I'm not," Jane lowered her voice and whispered conspiratorially, "easy."_

 _"Oh Jane," Maura laughed breathily, "It's really is so easy to get to you."_

 _Jane sighed, conceding the battle for once, "Only for you, Maur."_

 _Maura's breath hitched at Jane's sudden change in demeanor and she eyed the sincere smile that played along the brunette's pink lips. She could feel a blush creeping upon her cheeks, as her face heated up along with her blood pressure. She simply flashed a smile back and ducked her head, both of them finishing their meals in silence._

 _After they had eaten, they noticed the weather had shifted, as the sun attempted to peek out from behind the clouds, the air smelling clean and fresh. Maura stepped outside of the restaurant, Jane in tow, and inhaled deeply. She had always loved the atmosphere after it rained; it made her feel new, somehow, rejuvenated._

 _This feeling is what made her clasp her hands in front of her excitedly, suggesting they go for a walk in the park, eyes peering over to Jane hopefully._

 _Jane opened her mouth to protest, but upon seeing the glint in Maura's hazel eyes, she simply smiled, linking her arm in Maura's, "Of course, m'lady, it's shaping up to be a beau-tiful," she stretched the syllables out, "afternoon."_

 _Maura giggled at Jane's playfulness and tightened her hold on Jane's arm, entwining their fingers together, "It is, indeed."_

 _Once they entered the gates to the park, Maura released Jane's arm from her own, allowing their arms to dangle loosely between them, hands still linked. They moved silently through the park trails, weaving out of the way of passing citizens. There wasn't room for words in the comfortable silence they often fell in when they were alone._

 _Jane focused on the feel of the soft, dainty hand that was laced with hers. She often found herself staring at the medical examiner's hands, in awe of the simple beauty of the proportioned hand and digits. The fingernails were always perfectly manicured, though never painted, and if Jane hadn't seen it with her own eyes, would never have guessed that those hands spent some time in pretty gross places, even if they were covered in nitrile gloves._

 _Her eyes moved from the sight of their hands, up the slender arm, to the facial profile of the woman walking alongside her, oblivious to the roving gaze as she observed the people they were passing. Jane's eyes glanced down from the perfect curls framing her face, her eyes bright and expressive, to the outline of her sharp nose, to the soft curves of her plump lips, down to her chin. She smiled softly as she memorized every inch of that perfect face and committed it to memory, much as she'd done before, but just to be certain, she did it again._

 _"Jane?" Maura's head cocked to the side and she had that confused smile on her face at Jane's gaze. Her breathing shallowed as she looked into the brunette's eyes, catching storms of emotion behind them._

 _Jane blushed deeply, knowing that not even the darkness of her skin tone could mask the flush of color. She averted her eyes for a moment, licking her lips nervously, before she looked back at the still confused face, "Sorry, Maur, there was a," she paused to swat the air in front of Maura's face, "bug." She forced a smile and faced forward again, her heart thump, thump, thumping against her ribcage._

 _She felt Maura's gaze on her for a few beats longer and then sighed silently when she noticed the blonde turned her attention forward also, dropping the issue even though Jane knew she was currently disputing that excuse in her own mind. Jane bit her lower lip, trying to calm her breathing. She knew right then was in deep shit; she struggled to maintain a straight face should the woman look back at her again as she came to the realization that she was indeed in love with Maura Isles and she had been for quite a while._

BREAKBREAKBREAK

It was later that same Wednesday, only now it was evening, and the two had finished their run (Maura claimed that she "let" Jane win, of course), went their separate ways to get ready for work, met back up again for coffee, Maura having decided that instant really wasn't good enough, gone to work, and then to Maura's for dinner. They had eaten, and were then interrupted by Jane's mother who had swooped in, stealing Maura for the moment, taking her to the guest house for some reason or another that Jane wasn't really sure.

Jane wondered when exactly Maura's Beacon Hill home became the place that they gravitated towards, her _entire_ family included, much to her chagrin at times. She was standing in the middle of Maura's kitchen, bare feet and down to her tank top in a pair of worn jeans, as if she _lived_ there. Hell, the beer sweating in her hand was her favorite brand, one of a few things that Jane always seemed to find at Maura's, even though she knew the lighter haired woman had no preference or need for them. They were there simply for Jane, because of Jane. She tried not to ponder the feelings she knew she harbored for the woman she called her best friend, tried to push thoughts of reciprocated feelings away with a placating half-truth of "that's just what best friends do". But now, she allowed herself a moment to ponder those thoughts, no matter how dangerous they could be. She knew parts of her and Maura's relationship bordered into something that neither of them should've been toeing, but it seemed to be an unspoken dance between the two, always seeing just how far they could push without accidentally falling completely into the unchartered (and _fuck_ , Jane thought, _downright terrifying_ ) territory.

Though Jane had begun to realize that her feelings for the other woman had at some point along the timeline of their friendship, moved into something much bigger, she did her best to keep them in the periphery of her thoughts, stamping down the urges she got to touch Maura in ways that she knew she shouldn't as her best friend. This was especially so after the day that Maura had caught her unabashedly staring, the day she realized she was _in love_ with her.

Sometimes though she would fuck up, call Maura _"babe"_ before she could catch the word from tumbling off her tongue, she'd let her hand linger too long on the small of the woman's back as she led her through crowds. Sometimes she'd find herself with her hand on Maura's knee as they sat side by side in a booth at the Dirty Robber, her thumb tracing absentminded circles. She'd fuck up and when she realized what she did, she would apologize. Maura would always tilt her head to the side, in that _fucking adorable_ way and give Jane a confused smile as she wondered what exactly she was apologizing for, seemingly not finding any fault with Jane's actions.

It was becoming increasingly difficult to reign in her feelings, and Jane found herself trying to distance herself from the blonde, at least physically. She did this even though she knew that it was useless because it was as though they gravitated toward one another, always seeking the other for comfort. It had always been that way, really, Jane realized, as the barriers that existed around others never really applied when it came to just them. She often wondered why that was, and if maybe, just maybe, Maura knew of their silent dance as well. How they seemed to be running toward each other, while somehow running away from something at the same time.

Jane absentmindedly picked at the label of her beer with her thumb as she stood in the kitchen, lost in her thoughts, waiting on Maura to return from the guest house where she and her mother were likely discussing the plans they had to remodel the guest house or some other very feminine thing at which Jane could only cross her eyes. To this day, Jane still didn't know how Maura put up with the Rizzoli matriarch living basically on her back step, privy to everything that was _their lives_. Jane paused, not really sure when she began referring to she and Maura's lives as one. All she knew was that she was eternally grateful to the woman for being able to put up with her mother in ways that Jane herself could not. Just another reason why she had fallen so hard for the woman, she mused.

"Jane?" Maura leaned against the counter, eyeing the tall brunette who was currently boring a hole in the counter with her blank gaze. Maura moved closer to Jane, touching the woman's elbow softly, caressing the soft skin she found there, "Jane."

Jane glanced up at Maura, noting the amusement that danced upon her features. She blushed, "Huh?"

"You were staring a hole into my counter," Maura smirked a little, "I thought I'd lost you for a second."

"Oh," Jane cleared her throat, standing up a little straighter and averting her gaze, "Sorry, I was just…"

"Thinking. Right," Maura could tell that Jane wasn't really keen on talking about whatever it was that had been on her mind, much as she hadn't been the past few weeks, but Maura was trying not to pry, "Wanna stay and watch a movie?" She was already in the process of pouring herself a glass of wine.

"Yeah, sure, Maur," Jane smiled, taking a much needed swig of beer, "Sounds good." She made her way over to the couch, plopping down on one side, exhaling as she tried to steer her thoughts away from Maura and love and all the things she couldn't let herself think around the smaller woman because when she did, she found her resolve crumbling with each smile the woman flashed her, each laugh that escaped her throat as she would throw her head back lightly, exposing her neck, long and smooth. Jane always found herself gripping tightly to something, anything, in an attempt to hold herself back from reaching out and hotly kissing her way up the blonde's neck when she did that. Something about the carefree nature of the movement stirring desire from deep within her, seeing Maura so carefree did that to her.

Jane squirmed a little from her position on the couch as Maura came over, lifting Jane's legs and putting them across her own lap as she sat. Tiny hands wrapped around Jane's calves and thumbs caressed the denim softly, still somehow feeling like the touch was burning holes in Jane's flesh even though there was a barrier separating them. She was silently thankful that she decided on the worn pair of jeans instead of her basketball shorts even though she knew it was nothing more than a practical decision on her part. Though it was May, the weather was still quite chilly at times in Boston and jeans just made more sense.

"What are we watching?" Maura questioned, her ministrations on Jane's leg never ceasing as she glanced up at the television, somewhat surprised to find it still on the Nature channel where she had left it hours ago.

Jane's eyes flicked from Maura's hands to the screen, cringing slightly when she realized that she never turned the channel, "Uh," she squinted at the screen to try and make out the animals that were currently mating on the screen, "Yeah, walrus sex."

"Actually those are manatees," Maura corrected, glancing at Jane, her eyes narrowing in confusion, "You were really watching this?"

Blushing, she shook her head, "What do you think, Maur?" She gave her an incredulous look, knowing Maura already knew the answer to her question.

Maura sighed, obviously she wasn't going to be able to avoid confronting Jane about whatever it was she had going on lately, "Jane…" She started, eyeing the other woman's face.

"Maura…"

"I've been worried about you." Her mind conjured up recent images of Jane falling asleep at her desk in the middle of the day, of the more frequent coffee runs, she'd even noticed that Jane stopped coming to the morgue unless she needed something, forcing her to come to the bullpen to check on Jane instead. Maura frowned slightly at this, knowing something was definitely bothering her friend.

Jane huffed, leaning back against the couch cushions, "Don't be," came the gruff reply.

"Are you having nightmares?"

"Uh…" Jane paused, her shoulders slumping slightly deciding on the half-truth version she'd come up with on the off chance that Maura brought the subject up again from their run that morning, "Yeah, something like that…"

Maura tightened her grip on Jane's legs, her movements stopping as she took in the dark circles beneath her friend's eyes that seemed even darker than when she first noticed them, to the curls that were a bit more disheveled than usual, to the eyes that were averting her gaze, "Jane, will you look at me?"

The dark haired woman let her eyes flit up to meet hazel orbs, "It's nothing, Maur," she waved her hand in the air in an attempt to brush it off, "It's really okay." At this point, she wasn't sure if she was trying to convince herself or Maura. Her heart was thrumming against her chest, still acutely aware of the heat that seeped into her legs from where those hands still rested. She was all too aware of how closely they were sitting, Maura still dressed in her work attire of a form fitting skirt and blouse that showed just a hint more cleavage than she was used to. It was proving to be quite the distraction though she was trying desperately to convince the woman that nothing was wrong with her.

"Well…" Maura sighed, rubbing her hands up the detective's shins softly, "You know you can talk to me about it, right?"

Jane's face crumpled slightly at the dejected look on her face. Her voice took on twinges of hurt and Jane brought her hands up to rub them over her face before reaching out with her right hand to grasp Maura's left, pulling it from the perch on her legs, "Maura…"

At the delicate touch, Maura felt a lump grow in her throat unexpectedly and she swallowed hard, "It's okay to ask for help."

"I know," Jane paused, "It's just been a rough couple of weeks, you know?" At Maura's nod, she continued, "The case with the twins…" She swallowed as images of that horrific scene came bouncing back, and as she shoved them away, she sat up, moving her upper body closer to the woman seated beside her, "Just got me a little shaken up, is all."

"That's perfectly understandable," Maura said matter-of-factly, glancing down at their hands and lacing her fingers with Jane's as she spoke, completely missing the flash of uncertainty in the other woman's eyes, "Talking about it might help," she suggested, looking back up into dark brown eyes.

Jane shook her head vehemently, "No, it won't. Forgetting about it and moving on is the only thing that will help," she pulled her hand gently from Maura's, sitting up straight and practically launching herself from the couch as she went to dispose of her empty beer bottle and grab a new one.

She wasn't sure how much longer she could keep this up without Maura sensing that she wasn't telling the entire truth. Yes, that case had messed with her head for weeks, but they had found the killers and though she still mourned for the loss of life, she felt at ease knowing that she had done her job. She wasn't sure if she would really call them "nightmares", even though she always woke up the same, a sheen of cold sweat coating her body, her chest heaving for breath, but the dreams themselves were… _terrifying,_ Jane's mind filled in. She'd always dreamed of her best friend, it was only natural, right, because they spent so much time together? But recently, the dreams had taken on a whole new level of discomfort for the detective. It was one thing to day dream about your best friend when you were really supposed to be listening to the words coming out of her mouth, but it was quite another to _dream_ about those lips, doing unspeakable things to you, at night, and then have to face said best friend with a straight face of "hey, I didn't dream that you were getting me off last night, how are you today?".

Jane felt like she was in over her head and she got that familiar urge to bolt. She paused in front of the fridge, taking a moment to lean her head against the cool surface and letting out a shuttering breath.

She almost jumped out of her skin when she felt a cool hand rest on her back, just beside the strap of her tank top. She spun around to find Maura, looking concerned and she realized she was trapped. Fear danced in her eyes as she looked anywhere but Maura's face.

Maura noticed Jane's jumpy behavior and saw the emotions flashing across the detective's eyes as she avoided eye contact. _Again_ , Maura sighed, as she became increasingly sure that Jane wasn't telling her everything.

Jane's tongue darted out to wet her lips, her finger twirling her hair in nervous habit, before catching the movement of Maura's eyes as she glanced from burning a hole in Jane's face to the finger that was twirling dark brown locks around and around. "Nervous habit," Maura proclaimed, grabbing the arm and pulling it away. "Jane, why won't you just talk to me?"

She glanced up at the clock, and noting that 10:30 was a reasonable time to make an excuse to leave, she ducked out from under Maura's arm, scrambling to grab her stuff, "I have to go, Maur, got court in the morning." She attempted a smile, hoping to offset the confused turning hurt features on her friend's face.

"I- Jane…"

"I'll see in you in the morning, Maur, sorry about the movie," and with a guilty look, Jane was practically sprinting to her car, one hand already pressing the keypad to unlock the car.

BREAKBREAKBREAK

It was Friday morning and Maura hadn't seen Jane since she bolted out of her house on Wednesday night. She'd analyzed the detective's actions over and over, finding that she couldn't seem to focus on much else, even as she'd tried to read some of the medical journals she had stacking up on her nightstand. She'd tried yoga and running (without Jane, it just wasn't the same) and when all of that failed she decided to immerse herself in her work.

That had worked for all of a day, and now it was Friday morning and Maura was going to see Jane. She adjusted her already perfect outfit and strode confidently into the bullpen, coffee in hand.

Jane was seated at her desk, trying and failing to balance a pencil on her nose. The pencil fell to the floor with a small clatter and the detective sighed, the rush of air moving a wayward curl away from her face slightly. Jane reached down to pick up the pencil when her eyes caught a glimpse of the perfect legs, adorned with strappy heels as they came her way.

She fumbled slightly, the pencil falling out of her hand again to the floor, before clearing her throat and sitting up straight, guilty expression on her face. She hadn't _meant_ to make it seem like she had been avoiding Maura, but she knew what it looked like. She and Maura, if they didn't see each other every single day, well, at least they talked. And Jane hadn't seen or spoken to Maura since Wednesday night. She wasn't quite sure what had her so spooked, but before she could get a grip on her feelings and keeping them decidedly to herself, she hadn't wanted to risk being around her friend any more than was necessary.

"Jane," Maura greeted, handing over the paper cup filled with coffee, "I've been looking for you."

Jane cringed, hiding it behind the lid of her coffee cup, "Ah, yeah, sorry about that Maur, I just…" she trailed off, not exactly sure of an excuse that wouldn't come off as flimsy.

The petite woman waved her hand, "I just wanted to ask you for a favor."

Groaning, the dark-haired woman rolled her eyes, "No, Maur, I don't want to go shopping with you and my mother to pick out décor for the guest house."

Maura laughed a little, feeling her own unease about the situation between them melting away slightly, "No, Jane, there's a… benefit for one of the members of the Isles' foundation tomorrow evening and I wanted you to come along. We haven't been able to go out much lately." She hoped that Jane would understand what she wasn't saying and why she wasn't saying it. She knew the woman could get a little flighty when confronted on something she didn't want to discuss, so Maura was taking a different route than she normally would have, as she was receiving signals from Jane that this was different. She wanted Jane to talk to her, not keep running every time she brought it up.

"Uh…" The taller woman's eyes flicked sideways, catching Korsak eyeing them silently from his desk. He noticed her glance and smirked, looking back to his computer screen. Jane inwardly groaned, already knowing that she had lost the battle, "Sure," she half shrugged, forcing a smile as her eyes met Maura's.

Maura smiled pleasantly, impressed by how easy that had been, "Great. I know just the dress for you to wear…"

Jane groaned, "No, no dresses."

"It's going to be a formal event, Jane," Maura sighed, "I promise it will be something you will like. Dinner starts at 7, so I will be at your house by 5 so I can help you get ready."

Jane frowned slightly, knowing there was no point in arguing; when Maura wanted something, she got it, "Yeah, okay," she took the first sip of her coffee, "See you then," she mumbled, turning her attention back to the pencil that still rested on the floor below her feet.

Maura bent down quickly, retrieving the pencil and placing it in Jane's palm before curling her own fingers over Jane's slightly, "You're going to look fabulous. You always do."

The dark haired woman could feel that all too familiar thud, thud, thud of her quickening heart, the sound whooshing through her ears as it was followed by a flush of heat up her neck. God, the things Maura did to her without even realizing it…

"Jane," Frankie stood in the doorway of the bullpen, looking agitated, "Jane!" He called again, this time capturing the attention of his sister, "We got a lead on that hit and run case that came in this morning."

Jane sighed in relief, pulling her hand away from Maura's as she stood up and grabbed her blazer from the back of her chair, "Great," she paused for a moment, turning to face Maura, "I'll see you later, okay? Thanks for the coffee!" She shouted, as she strode out of the office after her brother, thankful for the interruption as her heart rate slowly began to return to normal.

BREAKBREAKBREAK

Evening sunlight poured in through the bedroom window, the sheer curtains doing a poor job of blocking it out. Any other time Jane would have bitched about the sun in her eyes, but at the moment she was focused on trying to rid her throat of the lump that had formed there, and hoping Maura didn't notice as she rubbed her palms together nervously, identical, but faded, scars tracing along one another.

Maura stepped closer to Jane from behind, holding up a gorgeous diamond necklace that Jane had never seen the other woman wear before, so she figured that meant Maura bought it specifically for this occasion. Maura looped the necklace around Jane's neck and hooked it skillfully, allowing the pendant to rest gracefully just above the cleavage that poked out from underneath the dark aqua dress, that was cut short in the front allowing bony knees to poke out, the sides slowly cascading down to form a small train. On Jane's feet were strappy heels that allowed the freshly painted aqua toes to poke out just so.

Their eyes met in the mirror and Maura smiled softly, fussing with a wayward curl, positioning it so it framed Jane's face perfectly in contrast to the sharp, strong jaw that jutted out below the dark cascade of hair.

"Perfect," Maura murmured, wondering briefly why she didn't make Jane dress up more often to come with her to these formal events. The brunette looked absolutely stunning, well, Maura amended, even more stunning than usual.

Jane frowned, if for no other reason than she felt like she needed to keep up the façade, "Quit fussing, Maur. You're worse than my Ma." She half-heartedly batted Maura's hand away from her face, letting out a small laugh.

"You're just so gorgeous, my friend," Maura stepped back slightly, still admiring the dark haired beauty in the mirror, "I'm glad you're coming with me."

Jane turned to face Maura, smiling, "Of course," she moved her eyes over the smaller woman in the dark red dress that clung to her body in all the right ways, pronouncing curves, the neck swooping just high enough to cover most of her abundant cleavage. Jane knew that Maura was wearing the same push up bra that she herself wore, as Maura had proclaimed that the dress wouldn't fit properly without it. Though Jane felt a little uncomfortable with her own, ahem, assets pushed up and out, she was definitely enjoying the view of Maura. She dipped her head slightly, looking up through her mascara-coated lashes (that had been Jane's own choice) at the woman before her, adding somewhat shyly, "You're gorgeous too, you know."

The gruffer than normal rasp of Jane's voice made Maura blush slightly, her milky white skin turning a shade of red, "Thank you, Jane," she smiled and batted her eyelashes. Her eyes fell to the diamond pendant that hung around the other woman's neck and she nodded toward it, "My mother gave me that necklace when I was about fifteen."

Jane's dark eyebrows furrowed slightly, "So why did you want me to wear it?" She brought her hand up to finger the diamond, feeling the ridges of the diamond, the cool metal of the chain in her hand.

"Because I knew it would look perfect on you," came the simple reply.

"You aren't worried I'll break it?" Jane felt a little nervous, suddenly feeling out of her comfort zone, "I don't have to wear it…" She reached for the clasp, only to have her hands swatted away by Maura's before smaller hands were cupping hers.

"Nonsense, it's perfect," Maura gave her hands a quick squeeze and then walked out of the bedroom, down the hall as she called, "Come, Jane, we can't be late!"

Jane took one last look at herself in the mirror, running her hand over the silk that covered her taut stomach and eyed the pendant one last time before smiling to herself, a sigh escaping her lips as she followed Maura out of the apartment, hoping she had enough resolve to maintain some distance between herself and the doctor for what she knew was to be a long evening. Especially with Maura in that dress; Jane shivered slightly just thinking about it.

After a short drive, they arrived at the ballroom in which the benefit was being held. They entered the building, Jane glancing around the large and ornate room. She accepted a flute of champagne from a passing waiter's tray, whispering in his ear to come find her every twenty minutes as she usually did when she was coerced into attending one of these events. Maura good-naturedly rolled her eyes and led Jane by the elbow into the ballroom, quickly finding their reserved seats and placing their coats on the chairs before she found herself being whisked away by a family friend who wanted to introduce her to some friends.

Jane sat down at her chair, not feeling the need to follow Maura so she could make small talk and have someone mistake her and Maura for a couple (something that frequently seemed to happen). Not that Jane minded that assumption, it just always seemed to jolt her a little when she had to quickly correct the person of their wrong assumption. So, instead, she sat and stared into the now nearly empty flute, watching the bubbles rise to the surface and pop, allowing herself to get lost in her thoughts.

She glanced up, searching the crowd and quickly finding Maura, who was currently surrounded by four men in suits that Jane was sure had some fancy ass label that Maura would have recognized immediately. Maura smiled politely at them, adding to the conversation where she saw fit and laughing at the appropriate times. Jane had attended enough of these events to know Maura's reactions by heart without even being beside her. She took advantage of the distance and admired Maura.

She was laughing now, that controlled, somewhat forced laugh, as she brushed the arm of the man standing next to her. Maura might have missed the look the man gave, but not Jane, and she scowled slightly, downing the final sip of her champagne none too lady-like. She knew Maura meant nothing by the touch, but Jane couldn't help the slow burn of jealousy that sparked deep within her belly. She tried to stamp down the feeling and glanced around the room at the other guests, all of whom were dressed to the nines.

After surveying her surroundings, as she tended to do, she felt eyes on her and her gaze flitted back to Maura, catching bright hazel eyes studying her curiously from across the crowded room. Maura smiled when she caught Jane's eye, beckoning her over with a wave of her hand. Jane shook her head but smiled back despite herself. Maura pouted and waved her over more dramatically this time, revealing a second champagne flute from in the hand that had been down by her hip. Upon this discovery, Jane sighed slightly but moved across the room to where Maura was now holding the drink out to her.

Jane took it, "Thank you," she smiled, one dimple poking out. Maura nodded and turned back to the small group that had assembled around her. Jane scanned each man's face, none of them particularly striking to look at, all having the same greased up hair and too white smiles that could only come from thousands of dollars in dental work. All of them had their eyes on the doctor and herself, silently analyzing their relationship or lack thereof.

"This is my best friend, Jane Rizzoli, Senior Homicide Detective for the BPD," Maura introduced, her hand coming to rest on Jane's upper arm.

"Oh, you're a detective?" One of the men smiled, his eyes raking over her form, "I've never met a female detective."

Jane took a sip of champagne, hiding her scowl, "Yes, and I always carry my gun." She smiled a little too sweetly.

The man shrunk back slightly under her piercing stare and Jane puffed her chest out slightly, stepping closer to Maura without realizing.

Maura glared briefly at Jane's behavior and continued the conversation, "Jane is very good at what she does and we're all very lucky to have her."

Jane stood that much taller at the compliment, smiling smugly.

"Yes, well," the same man cleared his throat and glanced sideways, "I see some guests that I must go and greet." He turned to Maura, taking hold of one of her hands in his, "Please excuse me, Maura, but we really should meet up sometime." He flashed that too white smile and it was all Jane could do to keep from telling him to buzz off.

Maura smiled politely, her voice an octave higher than usual, "Yes, of course, Thomas." Jane could tell by her body language that Maura was thinking practically the same thing she was.

With these words, Thomas nodded his head, dropping Maura's hand and glancing nervously at Jane before he scurried off, his friends departing along with him.

When he was out of earshot, Maura turned to Jane and smacked her arm, "What was that?" She hissed.

Jane rubbed her arm, "Wow, Maur, I don't think I ever have to worry about you. That hurt!"

"Stop deflecting, Jane," Maura crossed her arms over her chest, leaning back slightly, "You were rude."

"Yeah, well he was one look at my tits away from asking me if I use the handcuffs," Jane scowled, taking a swig from the glass in her hand.

"Thomas is the son of an old family friend. His family is very prominent," Maura tutted, annoyed but not truly angry.

"Well, he's lucky I didn't show him just how well I can use my weapon. Besides, it's obvious you don't really like him either."

"That's not the point, Jane. I waved you over because I _wanted_ to introduce you. If you didn't want to be here, why did you agree to come?"

Jane floundered at Maura's tone and body language. She fucked up and strangely she felt like she was being scolded as if she had pissed off her girlfriend or something. She shook her head slightly to rid her brain of those thoughts, "I'm sorry, okay? He just… he rubbed me the wrong way and I didn't like how he was lookin' at you." She cringed, hearing the words as they rolled off of her tongue, realizing immediately how they sounded.

The smaller woman rolled her eyes, "I am perfectly capable of handling myself, Jane," she couldn't help but smile a little bit inwardly though at Jane's protective nature, "If I need your help, I will ask."

"I know, Maur," Jane grasped Maura's hand, squeezing it briefly, before letting go, "It won't happen again and I _do_ want to be here tonight, okay?"

Jane smiled when she saw Maura disarm herself, her posture relaxing, "okay," the dark blonde nodded, as she returned Jane's smile, "I think you owe me a dance, though." Her eyes sparkled mischievously and Jane groaned.

"One dance," she held up her finger to stress her point, "And then I'm going to find that boy from earlier," she finished her second drink of the night, holding up the empty flute as she grinned, "This shit is good."

"Jane," Maura admonished lightly, letting out a chortle of laughter as she grasped the detective's arm and led her to the sparsely crowded dance floor, "Don't make me cut you off tonight," she warned, her eyes still glinting as she began to dance slowly, her hips wiggling in a way that immediately caught Jane's attention as she herself stood stock still in front of the dancing woman.

"Well they shouldn't make the stuff so good then," Jane defended, her mouth going slightly dry as Maura raised her hands above her head and bent her knees slightly as her hips continued their motion. She paused, considering her next words carefully, "Do you uh, always dance like that at these things?"

Maura smiled secretly, "Not exactly."

"Uh, should you be doing it now?" Jane swallowed.

"I am a guest this evening. I can do what I please," Maura answered, "Besides, you agreed to one dance and you have yet to break a move."

"Bust a move," Jane corrected, "and I told you, I don't like dancing."

"Well," Maura took Jane's hands in her own and guided them upwards, "Then you'll just have to let me lead." With that, she moved her hands down to Jane's hips, forcing the brunette to sway her hips, albeit somewhat jerkily until Jane got hold of the rhythm and finally loosened up under Maura's touch.

Jane and Maura danced to the slightly upbeat song, inching closer to one another and laughing carelessly as they showed each other their best moves. Jane's favorite was when Maura goofily crossed her eyes and formed a 'V' with her pointer and middle finger as she moved them across her eyes in pure dorky fashion, not caring where they were, as she tended to lose herself when she was with Jane. Jane was grasping onto Maura's elbows when the song ended and the coordinator of the benefit announced that the silent auction would be ending soon and that dinner was about to be served.

The guests around them moved, some going to find their seats, others heading to the table where the silent auction was set up. Jane and Maura remained in their spot at the edge of the dance floor as they caught their breaths from the silly dancing. Reaching up and pushing a lock of silky hair behind Maura's ear, Jane smiled, loving the way those hazel eyes shone under the dim lighting in the ballroom.

"Thank you for the dance, detective," Maura squeezed Jane's arms lightly as she tried to distract herself from the intensity of the other woman's gaze.

"No problem," Jane rasped, moving her arms to wrap them around Maura's torso, pulling them closer together. Now little space remained between them and they fell silent, each caught up in the moment.

Jane's eyes flitted to Maura's lips before meeting her eyes again. Maura's breath hitched in her throat at the sight of the darkened eyes of the brunette before her and she found herself leaning toward Jane's face.

"Well detective," Maura's breath ghosted across Jane's cheek, "It's safe to say you're a much better dancer than you think." She brought her finger up to rest on Jane's lips, dragging the digit down slowly until it came to rest on the edge of her dimpled chin.

The sound of Maura's sultry voice pulled Jane out of the Maura induced fog she had fallen in and she gasped, pulling away from her friend, "Uh," she cleared her throat, her hand going up to rub at the back of her neck as her chest flushed, "Sorry, Maur, I think I've had too much to drink. I'll meet you at the car, okay?" And then Jane was off, moving through the ballroom and ducking out of the exit, leaving a baffled, and slightly hurt, Maura in her wake.

BREAKBREAKBREAK

After making her obligatory goodbyes, Maura exited the building and made her way to the car, not surprised to see Jane leaning against the passenger side door, heels dangling from her fingertips as she stared at the ground below her feet. She approached the dark haired woman slowly, still slightly confused over the events that had happened.

"I'm sorry, Maur, I don't know what's wrong with me lately," Jane spoke, not moving her gaze from the pavement, "Let's just forget it, okay?"

"Does this have to do with the nightmares you've been having again?" Maura wasn't normally one to guess, but for this one she was truly at a loss. Had she imagined it or was Jane about to kiss her on the dance floor? It's not that she'd never examined her own feelings for the woman, but she was a bit shocked to see Jane attempting to make a move on her. She'd always assumed that the brunette had no idea of the silent back and forth that went on between them and it wasn't as if she had the courage to change that, so she'd left it as it was until now.

Jane shook her head, laughing humorlessly, "Yeah, Maura, it's the nightmares." The flat tone of her voice gave away her sarcasm and Maura narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Well the only other explanation is that you have feelings for me and that's why you were about to kiss me." Maura accused, _so much for ignoring it_.

Jane's head popped up, her eyes wide, "I wasn't… You…" she sputtered, her heart practicing its _thump, thump, thumping_ again. She searched the other woman's face for discomfort, any sign that suggested Maura was upset with that notion being true, but she found none. All she found was confusion and slightly darkened pupils.

"So you weren't going to kiss me, detective?" Maura edged closer, leaning slightly against the car as she faced Jane's side.

The dark haired woman swallowed slightly at the sudden closeness but didn't make a move to distance herself, "I… What do you think?"

"I think," Maura started, bringing her hand up to trail her fingers over Jane's exposed shoulder, gliding over the silky strap that rested there, "That you do a fine job of dancing… with me, that is," Maura paused as Jane glanced over at her and she licked her lips slightly, "And I think that you're scared, but you shouldn't be, because we're, we are _always_ , in perfect rhythm." She dipped her head slightly and looked up at Jane through her lashes, the corners of her mouth tugging up slightly.

Jane swallowed, "You know," her raspy voice sounded much scratchier filled with emotion, "I realized something, a few weeks ago, and I've been running from it."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "I realized…" She turned to face the smaller woman, allowing her hand to rest on the curved hip, "I realized I am in love with you, Maura."

Maura couldn't help the laugh that rang out, but upon seeing Jane's confused expression quickly shook her head, "Oh, honey, no, I'm not laughing at you. I'm… well, you haven't done a very good job of masking it, I'm afraid. I've noticed that something has been on your mind and normally I can get you to talk about what's bothering you, especially if it is work related, so when you kept avoiding me… Well," she paused, noticing how dark eyebrows furrowed together even more, "You've been jumpy around me lately, and just now, when you tried to kiss me, I began to put the pieces together."

"So what does that mean, Maur?" Jane asked somewhat shyly, as she processed the medical examiner's words, "I mean, I just admitted that I was in love with you."

"Yes," Maura smiled, leaning into the taller woman's touch, "You did. But I can't say I'm surprised that it took you until now to realize that. You can be rather obtuse when it comes to your feelings, Jane."

Jane grunted, "Hey!" But before she could get out any further protests, Maura was leaning toward her again, her breath hot against Jane's face.

"I would just like to say," Maura brought her hand up to rest on Jane's cheek, her thumb stroking across her jaw softly, "I'm in love with you too, Jane, and I was really disappointed when you ran off before we could kiss."

Jane's heart beat quickly, the familiar whoosh of blood running through her ears as she looked at Maura, "Well," she licked her lips again as she rasped out, "Can I kiss you now?"

Maura only nodded, bringing her face closer to Jane's. Noses brushed together as heads tilted and lips met hesitantly, for the first time. They kissed for a few moments before Jane pulled back slightly, bringing both of her hands up to cup Maura's face as eyelids fluttered open and hazel eyes met deep brown ones. Jane smiled, dimples proudly displayed as the rough pad of her thumb stroked across porcelain skin. She stared down at the woman for a few moments before tilting her head and moving in for a second kiss, this one lasting much longer than the first.

When she pulled away once more, Jane couldn't help the laughter that tumbled out nervously, only to be joined by Maura's honey-like laughter meeting her ears seconds later. They leaned into one another and held on.

"I think I'm ready to go home, now, detective," Maura smirked up at the other woman, a glint of arousal, among other things, in her eye, "What do you think?"

Jane only nodded, opening the passenger door for Maura, "I think that sounds like a wonderful idea."

Maura paused before sliding into the car, "Oh, and Jane? No more running," she kissed Jane's lips once more, nibbling slightly at her bottom lip before she released her and ducked into the car before Jane followed suit, climbing into the driver's side and starting the car.

"No more running, Maur," Jane smirked and paused, "Does that include 6 AM?"

Maura laughed, rolling her eyes at Jane's attempt at a joke, "Running releases endorphins, Jane, that are very beneficial to your overall health, not to mention the cardio workout that it provides…"

Jane kissed Maura, effectively silencing her small rant, before laughing, "Okay, we'll agree to keep the running strictly for exercise purposes only."

Maura smiled at this, nodding eagerly, "Okay, deal," and she leaned in for another kiss before linking her hand with Jane's as they pulled out of the parking space and headed for home, _together_.

 **A/N: Woo! I'm glad I got that one out of my system. I've been working and editing this for days, and frankly, I feel the need to just post it before I overanalyze everything. So there you go, let me know what you thought and leave some constructive criticism if you would. Thank you!**


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